Poll: Connecticut teachers do not support guns in schools

Connecticut Education Association Vice President Jeff Leake (left), speaks at a press conference prior to a legislative hearing about gun control at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford on 1/28/2013.Photo by Arnold Gold/New Haven Register

In overwhelming numbers, Connecticut teachers favor stronger gun restrictions and do not want to see educators carrying guns in schools, according to a survey by the state's largest teachers union.

The Connecticut Education Association released a poll of 400 teachers Monday, which found striking uniformity among teachers regarding gun control. The survey comes as the legislature considers gun restrictions and school safety in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

While some have suggested schools would be safer if teachers and school administrators were permitted to carry weapons, CEA Executive Director Mark Waxenberg said that only 3 percent of the educators sampled favored such a proposal. Eighty-five percent opposed it.